Filed to story: The LORDS Series Free PDF by Shantel Tessier
My father speaks. “She can stay, but she must be initiated.” His words make my stomach knot. “Adam is no longer here, and she doesn’t belong to a Lord.” Meaning, she’s not a wife-Lady. My father goes on. “Therefore, we have authority over her.”
I fist my hands, hating how true they are. If we had control of Carnage, it’d be different. “We are willing to give her to you, but in order to do so, you must do what needs to be done,” he says vaguely.
She must become a prisoner…my slave. But in doing so, I have to hurt her. They have no clue what I’ve done to keep her safe. To make her mine. She’ll hate me, and that thought makes my chest tighten. Does it matter what she thinks of me? Not really. She’ll be alive and all mine. That’s all I’ve ever wanted.
“Told you he couldn’t do it.” Haidyn’s father gives a dark chuckle at my silence. “I say we go with my plan. Throw her in a cell in the basement. No one’s going to be looking for her…”
“No!” I shout. “You’re not-“
“Those are your two options, Saint.” My father interrupts me. “You take her, or we do. What’s it going to be?”
“Me,” I growl through gritted teeth. It’s not even a fucking question. Like hell I’ll hand her over to them. I’m too selfish to let her go. I’d rather have her. “When?”
“No time like the present.” Haidyn’s father gives me a cold smile, and I grind my teeth. I’ve always hated him.
I turn to leave when my father speaks. “I’ll have Jessie bring you everything you need to get her ready.”
That tightening returns to my chest. It means I’m not even going to get to choose how I do it. They’ll place an order for what they want me to use and send it to me.
I exit the office and rush back to my room. Haidyn and Kashton stand by my bed. No Ashtyn. “Where is she?” I snap.
“Still in the bathroom,” Kash answers.
I run a hand through my hair. “Change of plans.” They both frown. “Well, I’m still going to do what I had planned, but I just have to do something else before.”
“What now?”
“I have to initiate her into Carnage.”
“Fuck,” Haidyn growls.
“You can’t be serious?” Kash snaps. “Saint, you can’t…”
“I don’t have a fucking choice!” I shout. “You either help me or get the fuck out.” I point at the door. I’ve made up my mind. There’s no going back.
Our fathers wanted me to hand her over to them. They knew I’d never do that, so they gave me an option that would leave her hating me. What they don’t understand is that I can live with that.
Kashton lets out a huff and walks to the door. Yanking it open, Jessie was about to enter with what I’m going to need. Kashton looks it over and then to me. Turning his back, he storms down the hall.
My stomach sinks as Jessie delivers what our fathers ordered. He leaves us without a word. “Do you believe in coincidences?” Haidyn asks, his eyes scanning over everything.
“No,” I answer softly. It’s a warning.
“Me either.” Haidyn turns to look at me, straightening his shoulders. “What do you need me to do?”
TWENTY-THREE
ASHTYN
I sit in the bathtub, the water cold. My mind on my mom…her body. The way Tyson stabbed her. No emotion. The Lords are trained to do as they’re told. They’re puppets to a master. Every day of their life before they’re even born is mapped out. Who they’ll fuck, who they get to marry. Where they’ll work.
A part of me wishes Tyson had just killed me. My family is gone. I know it. No one wanted to tell me. A Lord doesn’t want to deal with a woman, much less one who’s alone now. My bloodline is gone. I’m the last of my family. You’d think I’d be important. But I’m not. I’ve got a cunt. Not a dick.
The door opens, and I stare straight ahead at the glass shower that stands next to the tub. My knees pulled up to my chest and my arms wrapped around them. The water is bloody from washing my body and hair. I don’t know what’s mine or my mother’s. It’s crazy that this is all that’s left of her.
“Come on, sweetheart. Your water is cold.” I hear Saint’s voice, but I don’t acknowledge him in any way. What’s the point?
He grabs the towel off the side of the tub and then his hands are on my arms. I allow him to lift me to stand and when my legs give out, he picks me up. Getting himself wet in the process as water drips from my trembling body.
He sets me on the edge of the tub and begins to dry me off. “You should have let him kill me,” I whisper.
His hand stops, the towel pausing on my legs. He’s kneeling in front of me but drops the towel. He stands to his full height, grips my chin, and shoves my head back, forcing me to meet his stare. “I took a vow to protect you.”
I snort at that bullshit lie. A Lord will tell you anything he wants you to hear and make you believe it. It’s one quality they have that makes them like any other man in this world. “You just don’t want to lose your toy.”
His hand lowers to my throat, and his grip tightens, restricting my air. He pulls me to stand. My lips part as I watch his eyes grow cold, sending a shiver down my spine.
“Sweetheart, I’ve been going easy on you. But that is about to change.” Letting go of my neck, I cough as he bends down and picks up the towel and continues to dry me off.
I stare at myself in the mirror in front of me where the his and her sinks are. I’m covered in bruises from Tyson and Miles. From being choked, slapped, and restrained. I feel as hollow as I look.
He tosses the towel to the side and runs his hand up into my hair, gripping it tightly. Then he opens the bathroom door and shoves me into his room.
I stumble to a stop when I see what looks like a smaller version of a hospital bed now by the window and something that resembles a gown wadded up on top of it. I spin around to face him. “Saint-“
“I’m sorry, sweetheart.” Reaching out, he cups my cheek. “But I’ll do whatever I have to do to keep you.”
“Wh-at?” My voice wavers due to the lump in my throat.
He looks over my head and nods, signaling to someone. Before I can react, an arm wraps around my throat from behind. I reach up to grip it, my nails digging into the muscular arm that takes my air away.
I’m lifted off my feet, and I kick and squirm as I’m spun toward the king-sized bed. They fall onto it, me underneath them. Their free hand covers my mouth and face, pinching my nose.
I buck and kick trying to get them off but they’re too heavy, suffocating me. “I’m sorry, baby girl.” I hear a familiar voice rasp in my ear. “I always thought you deserved better.”
My lungs burn, tears roll down my heavy eyes, and my hand fists the sheets. I’m trying to crawl away but can’t get anywhere. My feet kick nothing but air as he lies on top of me.
My body jerks involuntarily, trying to breathe. Dots start to dance across my vision. A soapy taste fills my mouth. My limbs grow heavy, my body abandoning the fight and giving up.
“That’s it, Ash,” Haidyn says softly. “That’s a good girl. Just relax, baby girl.”
I try to breathe, but all it does is suction his large hand to my wet face.
He rolls over onto his back. I think he’s going to let me go, but instead, he wraps his jean-clad thighs around mine, locking my legs in place.
I stare up at the ceiling while his arm tightens around my throat now that he’s got me in a better position like a snake and his hand remains covering my face.
My heavy arms begin to tingle, and they fall to my sides. My body sinks into his muscular one that lies under me. Fresh tears roll down the sides of my face before my eyes close. A calmness washes over me, accepting my fate. Maybe this was the plan all along. To kill me themselves.
SAINT
Haidyn slides out from underneath her, and Ashtyn’s head falls to the side. Her eyes are open but unfocused, and she sucks in a ragged breath.
“You could have sedated her,” he offers.
I shake my head. I know our fathers… “They want her awake.” I knew she’d never agree to what I have to do. I had to force her hand. It was my only option. I promised her after what she saw that I’d never hurt her. I didn’t think I’d break that promise so soon.